Valve and packing



NOV. 6, 1934. J. C `MART1N, JR 1,979,977

VALVE AND PACKING Original Filed July 7, 1930 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 6, 1934 PATENT OFFCE VALVE AND PACKING Jesse C. Martin,Jr., Los Angeles, Calif., assigner to Walworth Patents Inc., Boston,Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Original application July 7, 1930,Serial No. 466,203. Divided and this application October 25, 1932,Serial No. 639,438

2 Claims.

This invention relates broadly to packing elements, and moreparticularly to new and useful improvements in packings for valves, andspecifically to animproved` packing characterized by the embodimenttherein of means for reducing friction between the parts affected andfor facilitating adjustment of the packing.

While, for the sake of convenience, the packing of this invention isdescribed and shown as embodied in a valve of the rotary plug type, itwill be understood that the invention is capable of adaptation to otheranalogous devices, and therefore, finds a wide eld of utility.

The principal objects and advantages which characterize this inventionreside in the provision of an improved packing and gland construction;the provision of an improved packing for relatively movable elements,such as the body and seat of a rotary plug valve; the provision of animproved packing means and improved adjusting means therefor; theprovision of an improved packing and means for reducing friction betweenthe packing and the elements affected thereby; the provision of animproved 25 packing element and means for facilitating relative movementof the elements affected thereby;

theprovision of an improved packing element and improved means forreducing strains on the packing element; the provision of an im provedpacking element and means constructed and arranged to serve forreta-rding the movement of the packing element in response to action bya gland member; the provision of an improved packing having a casing forlimiting the contact of the packing with the elements aected to apredetermined area for facilitating relative movement of the parts; theprovision of an improved packing element and means for facilitatingadjustment and replacement of the 4g; packing element; the provision, incombination with an improved packing element, of an improved followerconstruction; the provision of an improved housing for the packing of adissimilar material from that of the packing; and 45' the provision, inavalve structure, of an improved packing element and retaining andadjusting means therefor which facilitates operation of the valve itselfby reducing to a practical minimum the area of contact between the valve50i member and the packing and by interposing means for preventing unduefriction between the packing and the body for facilitating adjustment ofthe packing proper.

This invention further includes the provision of an improve/.l form ofpacking element wherein the component parts, are made tapered so thattheir respective surfaces properly engage and facilitate compression andexpansion of the packing elements.

This application is a division of my copending application, Serial No.466,203, filed July 7, 1930.

This invention finds special utility when employed in rotary plug valvesand further objects and advantages reside in the provision of a packingand housing therefor which is heat resistant and is of such constructionthat frequent adjustment of the packing element may be had withoutmaterial damage to the packing element or to the parts aiected thereby.

The foregoing and such other objects and advantages as may appear or bepointed out as this description proceeds are attained in one structuralembodiment of the invention, illustrated in the accompanying drawing inwhich:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view, partly in elevation, illustratinga valve including the iinproved packing;

Figure 2 is a sectional View taken on the line 2--2 of Figure 1 lookingin the direction indicated by the arrows;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3--3 of Figure 1 lookingin the direction indicated by the arrows.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, it will be observed thata valve body is provided having transverse passageways 11, 11 and acentral tapering bore 12 in which is received a valve plug 13. Thebottom of the bore 12 is open and a closure member 14 is inserted insaid opening, a helical spring 15 maintaining the latter upon its seatformed by the bore 12. The valve plug is provided with a transversepassageway 16 which is adapted to be brought into register with thepassageways 11 for controlling the flow of uid therethrough.

It will be observed from Figure 1 that the upper end of the body 10 isprovided with an annular shoulder 17 which is adapted to besubstantially on the same plane with an annular shoulder 18 formed onthe valve member 13. Said shoulder 18 is formed by reducing the valve toform a valve stem 19 which projects beyond the upper part of the bodythrough an opening therein provided with internal threads 20. Thethreads 20 terminate short of the bottom of the opening, as indicated at21, to form a smooth uninterrupted surface adjacent to the shoulder 17.

In order to prevent leakage past the valve seat and valve membersadjacent to the shoulders 17 vas and 18, there is provided a packingelement generally designated 22 seating upon said shoulders andpreferably formed cf a non-metallic substance including two ormoreshaped split rings 22a, 22a, the rings being cut as indicated at 23, andthe `adjacent 'ends securedtogether by a stitching 24, the splitportions overlapping solid portions of the adjacent ring, which preventsleakage, and which prevents fraying of the material forming the packing,which, in the present instance, is preferably asbestos. V

The cut or split 23 preferably extends about halfway around the rings22a, 22a in the form of a helix, the terminal ends of each split openingon opposite faces of each ring as shown in Fig. 3. The helical split4portions are therefore of substantial length and support each other whenstitched together without tendency to rupture when one portion is undertorsion due to rotation of the shoulder 18 of the valve memberthereacross; the other portion meanwhile frictionally engaging thestationary shoulder.

In order to reduce strains on the packing and to prevent the latter fromengaging the screw threads 20, andthus rendering difficult theadjustment of the packing by damaging the same and rendering diicultremoval of the packing, I provide an improved housing whichincludes acylindrical wall 25 interposed between the threads 20 and the adjacentsurface of the packu ing, a follower member 26 being movable relativelyto the wall and having a flange 27 disposed within the confines of saidwall. The fol.- lower 26 rests upon the upper end of the packing, asshown in Figure 1.

A gland member 28 is provided having a threaded portion 29 on theextension 30, said extension abutting the follower 26 and serving tocause said follower to bear upon the packing.

It will thus be seen that the housing formed by 'the elements 25 and 26prevents undue friction between the gland and the packing' and the 'bodyand seat packing so that adjustment of the packing to take up for wearis facilitated. This is particularly advantageous in 'valves where highpressures and temperatures are present which necessitate frequent takingup on the packing.

In order to facilitate movement of the valve in use by preventing unduefriction between the valve and the packing, there is provided acylindrical sleevemernber 31 surrounding the valve stem 19 and lyingbetween the latter and said packing and gland. The sleeve 31 is providedat its inner end with an annular ange 32 engaged between the packing soas to prevent the sleeve from becoming displaced outwardly. The sleeve3l seats on the shoulder 18 formed on the valve, and the surface of thesleeve is adapted to engage the inner surfaces of the packing elementand the gland member 30.

From the foregoing it will be observed that the sleeve 31 forms a meansinterposed between the packing element and a portion of the valve tofacilitate movement of the valve, and that the members 25 and 26 serveto prevent damage to the packing on the threads 20 and also remove thediiculty usually encountered in replacing a packing of this nature.Furthermore, it will be observed that the members 25 and 26 and thesleeve 31 cooperate to concentrate the packing at thepoint where it ismost needed, that is, the junction between the shoulders 17 and 18. Thisarrangement not only increases the life of the packing in that only thatportion of the packing necessary to perform the function is exposedtothe high temperature, but the arrangement also insures that thepacking will be evenly compressed by the gland and will not becomefrayed or otherwise damaged by contact with the threads 20.Substantially all of the thrust causing compression of the packing whichresults in friction causing retardation of the movement of the plug inits seat is transmitted against the end of the plug and the shoulder 17.

I claim:

1. In a packing, a pair of rings of compressible material, each having ahelical split extending through the body of the ring from one endsurface to the other substantially halfway around the ring, a stitchingextending through the width of each ring to secure the split portionstogether, said rings being arranged with thefend surface of one abuttingthe end surface of the other, the terminal ends of the split in one ofsaid rings being staggered relative to `the terminal ends of the splitin the other said ring'to increase the resiliency of the abutting rings.

2. In a packing, a pair of rings of compressible material, each having ahelical split extending through the body'of the ring from one endsurface to the other substantially halfway around the ring, ayieldablestitching extending through the `width of each ring to secure the splitportions together, said rings being arranged with the end surface of oneabutting the end surface of the other, the terminal ends of the split inone of said rings being staggered relative to the terminal ends of thesplit in the other said ring to increase the resiliency of the abuttingrings.

' JESSE C. MARTIN, JR.

